The Difference Between Talking and Listening

A lot of people have been conditioned to believe that they need to talk a lot. We've all met the person who seems to be in love with the sound of their voice and rarely lets people into the conversation. What we sometimes forget is that communication is over 90% non-verbal which means that talking is just a small part of what we're supposed to be doing.

Yet millions of people wake up every day ready to tell the world something rather than learning something from the world. We spend our time trying to tell our story rather than gaining more insight into others' experiences. Think about your own style: Do you talk more or do you listen more? What would happen if you shifted your style just slightly. Highly effective people understand that getting their point across is often as much about understanding someone else's point of view as it is putting one's own opinion into the mix.

Here are some tips to help you add to your communication skills:

1. Try to listen more than you talk.
2. Ask open-ended questions.
3. Try not to think of the next thing you're going to say.
4. Try not to think of the perfect rebuttal.
5. Stay away from questions that lead the conversation in a certain direction.
6. Let people say what they want and give them the space to do so.
7. Listen.
8. Did I mention listening?

The key skill we ignore in life is listening. It's incredible what we learn when we take the time to really listen to someone. Suddenly we understand people better and can make decisions based on rich information. We avoid misunderstandings and we connect with people on a deeper level.

Perhaps the most powerful proof that listening helps improve our lives is that it allows us to breathe. We don't have to fill up space, we don't have to think of witty things to say and we get to learn all kinds of interesting things about others and relax more.

Have a great listening day,

Guy
Life Coach in Reno

Finding Hope in the New Year

This new year brings a lot of talk about how difficult things are. Sometimes it just helps to realize that you have the ability to remain hopeful. Here's what some smart people have to say about hope:

Alexander Graham Bell:

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.


Allan K. Chalmers:

The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.


Dale Carnegie:

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.


Dorothy Thompson:

Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.


Have a hopeful day,

Guy
Life Coach in Reno